marcire
/marˈt͡ʃi.re/
The English phrase "rotting" is translated into Italian as marcire.
The word refers to the process of organic matter decaying or decomposing due to the action of bacteria and fungi. While marcire is the standard verb, you may encounter more specialized terms depending on the context: Decomposizione is used for general decomposition in scientific or formal discussions and Putrefazione is typically used in medical or forensic contexts to describe putrefaction.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on how you want to express the state of decay. Use the gerund marcendo to express the continuous action of rotting. The third-person singular present indicative is marcisce, which translates to "it rots" or "is rotting". You can also use the past participle marcito as an adjective to mean "rotten" or "rotted".
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. The IPA is /marˈtʃi.re/.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the verb marcire is often used in the idiom marcire in un cassetto, which literally means 'to rot in a drawer'. It is used to describe ideas or talents that are wasted because they are never used.
- The English word 'macerate' shares a common ancestor with marcire. While in English it often refers to soaking something in liquid, the underlying root is the same process of softening and breaking down.
- While marcisce describes the physical process, the adjective marcio is frequently used in Italian slang to describe something that is 'shady' or 'crooked', especially regarding business deals or people.
Examples in context
- Quel frutto è pieno di marciume!That fruit is full of rot!
- La mela sta marcendo.The apple is rotting.
- La frutta sta per marcire.The fruit is about to rot.
- Le foglie vecchie iniziano a marcire.The old leaves are starting to rot.
- Il legno è iniziato a marcire a causa della pioggia.The wood has started to rot because of the rain.
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are inspecting a wooden garden bench.
- ChiaraFrancesco, guarda questo legno, sembra iniziare a marcire.Francesco, look at this wood, it looks like it's starting to rot.
- FrancescoHai ragione, è molto umido.You are right, it is very damp.
- ChiaraDobbiamo sostituirlo prima che inizi a marcire del tutto.We need to replace it before it starts to rot completely.
- FrancescoSì, lo faremo il mese prossimo.Yes, we will do it next month.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry marcire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries marcire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
